Former Aaron Donald teammate gives update about possible return to Rams

As of the morning of June 26, all outsiders really know about rumors suggesting that retired defensive superstar Aaron Donald could return to the Los Angeles Rams at some point before or during the 2026 season is that he is allegedly "thinking about it."

Retired offensive tackle and current NFL analyst Andrew Whitworth previously shared a locker room with Donald, and the two were members of the Rams team that won Super Bowl LVI in February 2022. During a recent chat with D.J. Siddiqi for a Casino.ca piece, Whitworth confirmed that he has tried to get a confirmation from Donald regarding the future Hall of Famer's plans for the upcoming campaign.

Aaron Donald has talked to former teammates about possible NFL return?

"I've been trying to get him to give me a percentage for about two weeks now," Whitworth said about a potential Donald return. "I just want him to give me something I can get excited about. He won't do it. He's holding out the information on me. But we've talked about it a little bit, and I think for him, he's a guy, he's like me. I work out probably more now than I did when I played, and so I think AD still trains a ton."

Donald hasn't played since he retired following the 2023 season, and the 35-year-old has given no public indication that he is serious about potentially playing later this year. That said, he also hasn't denied that he could want to line up alongside Myles Garrett after the Rams acquired the star pass-rusher from the Cleveland Browns earlier this month. 

Aaron Donald return would be "scary" for opposing offenses

Understandably, some have questioned what Donald would and/or wouldn't be if he came out of retirement. After all, one would think even a generational talent such as Donald would have to shake off some rust that has accumulated from not playing across multiple seasons. 

Whitworth seems to believe Donald would have no problem getting back into game shape. 

"Listen, if Aaron Donald makes that decision, I know it's going to be from a place of his heart is in it, and at that point, it becomes scary," Whitworth added. "Having the potential to do it and the opportunity to do it, that's the easy part for that guy. It's whether he wants to. He's one of the rarest humans I've ever been around. Not just physically, just in general. How he works and his determination is one of one. If he decides it's go time, watch out."

The Rams reportedly will "keep the door ajar for Donald to return at any point" between the early days of summer and the start of the 2027 postseason tournament. It's unknown when he will reveal whether or not he will walk through that opening.